This loaded southwest chicken salad with homemade french fries is simple to whip up and will quickly become a family favorite! Learn how to make your own chipotle ranch to keep this meal healthy with 100% clean ingredients.
Have you ever tried french fries on a salad? It is kind of like croutons but only better! This southwest chicken salad recipe is hearty, healthy, and so delicious!
Southwest chicken salad is loaded with flavor and topped with homemade easy chipotle ranch dressing. Depending on your preference, you can adjust the spice to make this kid-approved.
This southwest chicken salad makes for an easy dinner recipe that can be made on any night of the week — topped with homemade french fries for an added crunch and to make this salad more filling.
On most southwest chicken salads, you will find corn, black beans, chicken, salsa, chipotle dressing, and avocados. This southwest chicken salad is a little different. It will still have that spicy, full-of-flavor chicken and dressing, but this salad will be topped with french fries.
I prefer crunchier lettuce, like romaine, for this salad. A blend of greens with spinach and arugula can be used, too, if you prefer. You will also need fresh french fries, chipotle chicken, sharp cheddar cheese, avocado, and homemade dressing.
SOUTHWEST CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE
SOUTHWEST CHICKEN TENDERS
Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat and add in avocado oil.
While the skillet is heating, cut the chicken tenders into one-inch strips.
Mix the chipotle spices in a large bowl. Add the chicken to the spices and toss to coat.
Place the chicken in the cast iron skillet and cook until done, stirring often — about 10 minutes.
When making your chicken (full recipe below), you can leave out or use less of the chipotle spices if you prefer your chicken milder.
EASY CHIPOTLE RANCH DRESSING
Place greek yogurt and homemade mayonnaise in a bowl.
Mix in chipotle spices, fresh cilantro, and the juice of one key lime.
Stir until everything is well combined.
If you don’t love the taste of fresh cilantro, you can omit this, but I highly recommend it! Use this healthy homemade ranch dressing or honey mustard dressing if you want a milder dressing.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Get my full disclosure here.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE MAYO
INGREDIENTS
1 cup avocado oil
1 egg
2 teaspoons vinegar (or lemon juice)
1/2 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Add all the ingredients into a wide-mouth mason jar.
Blend with an immersion blender. Start at the bottom, and as the liquid starts to turn creamy and white, slowly begin to work the blender upward towards the top. This takes about 3 minutes total.
You can use regular mayo from the store if you don’t have time to make your own. I have found an avocado mayonnaise from primal kitchen that is whole 30 and paleo-approved. It is delicious, but so much cheaper to make your own!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY FRENCH FRIES
The key to healthy french fries is the oil you use to fry them in. Oils like canola, soybean oil, and olive oil have low smoke points. This means the temperature at which an oil starts to burn and smoke is low and shouldn’t be used for frying, sauteeing, cooking, or baking. Heating the oil over the smoke point temperature removes nutrients and can become dangerous to consume.
Oils that have high smoke points are avocado oil and coconut oil. Using these oils for frying can actually make fried food healthy!
Most french fries are breaded and contain spices that may contain gluten, MSG, and sugars.
We have a fry daddy in our home and use it to make french fries. Homemade french fries are so delicious! And I love that it is just potatoes, a healthy fat, and pink Himalayan salt.
If you don’t have a fryer, you can still make delicious fries in the oven.
Heat fryer or preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut a potato into small “fry-shaped” strips.
If using a fryer, place the fries into the oil and cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.
If using an oven, toss the fries in oil of choice, place on a cooking sheet in a single layer, and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until golden brown.
IS SOUTHWEST CHICKEN SALAD HEALTHY?
Well, yes and no! Sometimes eating a salad can be less healthy than eating a burger and fries when you go out to dinner. Just because it is a salad doesn’t mean it is healthy.
Soybean oil is likely the first ingredient in any dressing that isn’t homemade. Unfortunately, it is also high up on the list of worst foods to consume. Because of this, added sugars, and genetically modified foods, most salads aren’t very healthy at all.
This southwest salad is made with all healthy ingredients and makes for an easy meal.
HOW TO KEEP SALAD FRESH?
I love to make large amounts of food at a time, so I don’t have to spend as much time in the kitchen throughout the week. Some foods like salad are hard to make ahead of time because lettuce can wilt quickly.
If you are a meal prepper or want to make this for packed lunches, I have some tips for you! I made this salad and enjoyed it days later, and it was still fresh. Simply put, the salad together, leaving out the avocado and dressing. Add those two right before eating to keep the salad from getting soggy.
This loaded southwest chicken salad with homemade french fries is simple to whip up and will quickly become a family favorite! Learn how to make your own chipotle ranch to keep this meal healthy with 100% clean ingredients.
Vanilda Gonçalves Lyra says
Eu adorei.
Ashley says
Topping it with French fries is brilliant!
Laura says
It is the best!
wilhelmina says
This was exactly what I have been craving! I loved the combo of the fresh salad with the fries, delish!
Laura says
I love a good filling salad!